Maintain Your Mental Health: The Power of the Willing Mind

How to Maintain Your Mental Health: The Power of the Willing Mind

The world is a stunningly beautiful place to live. It’s full of wonders, and so is our precious life. We have been blessed with eyes to see the waves crash magnificently on the shore, ears to hear the songbirds sing, noses to smell the flowers, tongues to taste the fruits of the earth, and hands not just to touch but feel the ground. There is beauty all around and within us.   

But sometimes, no matter how good the world around us is, we can’t help but feel stressed, anxious, or sad. Hence, our mental health comes wriggling once again even when we’ve worked hard to keep it healthy. With one trigger—a word, an event, a harmless thought—we are transported from a good to a bad place. When our headspace is distressed, we become distracted from our life goals. It stalls us from achieving our dreams.

At times maintaining could be just as hard as achieving something. So, don’t go thinking there’s something wrong with you. It’s just that maintaining anything is complex, and our mental health isn’t exempt. The fact that you want to better your mental health proves that you’re on the right path. So without further ado, let me tell you about some effective and efficient ways to maintain your mental health.

Ways to Maintain Your Mental Health

Cleanse your diet. You are what you eat. The health of our body and brain depends on our diet. To function well, the body and mind need nutrition. Perhaps the most significant illustration of how taking care of your body helps you keep a healthy mind is the connection of the gut to the brain. The vagus nerve connects them. There are bacteria in our gut that can influence our emotions. On the other hand, the brain has the ability to determine which bacteria can flourish in the gut. There’s an interdependence between the gut and the brain we can’t ignore. Poor diet hinders this relationship from benefiting your mental health.

Balance your diet. Try to eat more fruits and vegetables. Find good sources of nutrients such as fish, nuts, beets, chicken, eggs, etc. Also, drink the right amount of water for your age and body type. Stay hydrated, you beautiful thing! Moreover, avoid junk foods, too much sugar, processed foods, soft drinks, alcohol, and other unhealthy foods and drinks. The range of the food you eat is significant, so try to plan your meals for a specific time and make sure you aren’t just eating the same meal every day. Coupling your diet with physical activities is all the more for the better! Working out is good for physical fitness; it can also de-stress you.

Stay positive. You are what you think. So much has happened that we have forgotten the hopefulness connoted by the word ‘positive.’ There is a reward in keeping your thoughts positive, and it is still there for the taking. It never left. Thus, we should rediscover what positivity really is. 

Set the tone of your day. Morning positivity and gratitude practice, such as meditation or simply counting your blessings instead of your problems, can set a positive tone for your day. The more grateful and focused we are for the good things about our life and this world, the happier we become. Find your sacred space and take time to breathe and appreciate life every morning. Our day will already be better once we do this.

Avoid negative thoughts. To avoid negative thoughts, find out what induces negative emotions in you. For others, it can be social media, a place, a sound, a memory, or even a person. Once you know what triggers your negative thoughts, you can then plan how to manage them. For example, social media is both essential and scary so maybe set a limited time for doing it. You can also find new hobbies to spend your time such as drawing or sports. Again, physical activities! Also, doing something that you love can make your life more meaningful. It is up to you to focus on the positive side. But be careful not to confuse avoiding negative thoughts with running away from your shadows. Avoiding negative thoughts is simply not letting your positive mental state fall apart. Running away from your shadows is denying yourself the chance to be whole.

Stop living in the past or worrying about the future. Remember that the past is certain, and you can never change it. You have to learn to accept and live with it. Learn from it and move on. On the other hand, the future is uncertain. There’s no point worrying about something you can’t ever possibly know. So, focus on the present. Vent your frustrations through good things. Gather all your energy and redirect it to right now because right now is what matters. And right now, you can do something that makes your past relevant and your future secure. Right now, you can either stall or move forward. Live in the moment. We aren’t here forever.

Focus on your life goals. You can be whatever you want. Perhaps this is the most critical part of keeping our minds healthy. It is safe to say that the state of mind is key to reaching our fullest potential. We are not here to be someone else. We are here to be whole. When whole, we can become more focused on what raises us up, not on what brings us down. When our focus is our goals, we become less susceptible to distractions that affect the mind negatively.

Resolve, reconcile, redirect. When avoiding negative thoughts isn’t healthy anymore, they may be more extensive than you think. So, face these thoughts and know why they occur. There is clutter and baggage shoved down to our unconscious, and they may be manifesting themselves through these thoughts. You should resolve these issues by reconciling who you think you should be and who you really are. Running from who you are can only give you stress and, worse, limits. Knowing and accepting oneself fully helps you have peace with who you are, be comfortable in your skin, and embrace every piece of yourself.

The Happiness Compass Workshop leans toward healthy practices. It helps you clarify your goals and which things to focus on by integrating the importance of a person’s mental health in self-actualization. Mind you, mental health is a big part to self-actualization. The course guides you to gain focus and strategize on the steps to take in order to block all else that doesn’t contribute to achieving your goal.

Take breaks. You are human, not a robot. Taking a break from whatever that’s tiring you is okay. In fact, it is encouraged. You don’t want to get too stressed or burnt out, do you? So rest, take a beat, take a vacation, go to the spa, or read. Just pause. Depriving yourself of rest weakens your immune system, body, and mind. Remember, life isn’t a race. Taking breaks does not hold you back from success; it only jumpstarts your drive.

Socialize and open up. You are who you are with. Hence, having a group that you enjoy socializing with can be uplifting. Seek optimistic, supportive people you want to be around. 

Talk. Carrying the weight of the world on your shoulder is not ideal. If you get the chance, gather all your strength, and tell a loved one about your problems or feelings. If releasing this way is hard for you, then journal. Write down all your thoughts, feelings, and emotions on a piece of paper. You will feel better afterward. 

The product. Indeed, there are many things you can do to maintain your mental health, such as balancing your diet, staying positive, focusing on your goal, taking breaks, and socializing. Doing these things can strengthen your drive. We know it could be challenging. However, don’t ever forget that maintaining your mental health is your call. If you have the willpower to remain healthy in the body and mind, you are already halfway there. Your willpower is not just self-control; it is a product of self-love. 

Trust me. You can maintain your mental health. Don’t ever underestimate the power of someone who is willing to be better. That’s you. You are powerful. You hold the ability to keep your mind sound, to become whole, and to be a personification of positivity in a world where people have forgotten what positivity really is.